Watch Northern Exposure with me: Episode 1-5

"Russian Flu" introduced Fleischman's fiancee, Elaine, who sports some truly awesome 80s hair. I'd forgotten that this episode is so early into the series' run. Fifth ep in seems a bit too soon to bring in a piece of Joel's former New York life.

It's interesting to me that Joel and Elaine never confront the idea that Joel has already changed as a result of his stay in Cicely (or maybe he hadn't changed that much, yet). The only point of contention is Maggie, and whether or not she may be a threat to Elaine. Usually, this storyline would include that element of "you've changed," but it really doesn't here. If Joel sees the relationship in a different light, it's only because of his subconscious feelings for Maggie, as implied by the dream sequence, which is probably the most notable part of the episode (aside from the truly strange Twin Peaks homage near the end).

Strange beginning with a voiceover. It's not clear to whom Joel is speaking. Out of character and sloppy.

Now, about that New York dream sequence... this is something that pops up again with the season 6 premiere -- the premise of Joel imagining his Cicely peers in New York, although their roles are very different in each episode. Here, Joel meets Maurice and Chris on the street (with the latter filling in for Larry King!). Furthermore, he recognizes them all as their Cicely-selves, merely transplanted into a metropolis. Holling is a doorman (why? because he's in the hospitality business?) and Shelly is a high-priced call girl (huh?). Maddeningly, Marilyn is Joel's maid (much like the maid she plays in "Cicely" -- why - because she's not white??) Ed is the elevator operator (but he still has his famous filmmaker friends). Seriously, why is everyone in a servile position in this dream? Maybe it says something about Joel's subconscious. The important part is that Elaine becomes Joel's sister in the dream, dutifully making chicken soup and watching over his children. Maggie, naturally, plays some sort of Amelia Earhart sexpot, in a bomber jacket and bra. I find this sequence a little obvious, with few of the unexpected twists that would pop up in later episodes. It's a good precursor to later, more imaginative dream sequences.

The second "dreamy" sequence comes near the conclusion of the episode, when Holling offers to take Joel and Elaine to a scenic waterfall, which turns out to be covered in fog. There are a few clear references to Twin Peaks - cherry pie, the log lady, the music, snapping, etc. The cinematography is slightly Lynch-ian as well. It's fun, but really jarring - and unclear as to whether or not the scene is a fantasy or part of the reality of the episode.

P.S. - is "Red" Dr. Anspaugh from ER?

Watch Northern Exposure with me: Episode 1-4

It's kind of interesting to watch these early episodes, but kind of annoying too. The characters are still being formed and there are some inconsistencies that need to be ironed out. Things don't really get cooking until Aurora Borealis. Season 2 was a huge leap, in terms of quality. I'm looking forward to getting to those eps.

In episode 4, Holling and Shelly attempt to get married, twice, and Maurice continues his quest to turn Cicely into a vacation destination. Actually, that begs the question that's semi-relevant to this blog -- why the tourism industry? Isn't Maurice aware that there aren't any big bucks in tourism? Shouldn't he spend more energy trying to rape the land or something? Interesting that Maurice uses Joel to attract the interest of his would-be investors. This little theme would come back a few more times in the future. If we think about NE's characters as concentric circles, Maurice and Joel sometimes overlap when it comes to marketing Cicely for financial gain.

Speaking of Maurice, the scene with Shelly and him is tres creepy. Something about the way he touches her face. It seems even wrong-er than Shelly and Holling.

Anyway, this ep marks the start of Shelly's short-lived hysterical pregnancy. There's also a brief reference to abortion (I think) when she and Joel discuss the unplanned nature of the pregnancy.

Bouncing off my comment about the continuity of Holling as mayor (in ep 1-2), I noticed that Maurice introduced Holling as mayor in front of Joel. Maybe he's just unobservant.

Stray music thoughts - is this the first kd lang of the series (during the proposal)? Great music choice of Sukiyaki during the golf scene. I loved the use of My Way during the wedding (oh, and Hello Young Lovers.)

Watch Northern Exposure with me: Episode 1-3

The third episode of NE's first season is not a favorite of mine. I think it suffers from the very-special-new-character syndrome. In my opinion, especially in a new show, there's little reason to mine the character of a never-again-discussed person, to the detriment of regulars who still need establishing. I mean, who the hell cares about Soapy Sanderson? I blame Jerry Stahl, who got a writing credit on this ep. Remember "Permanent Midnight"?

I just have some general gripes with this episode:

How does Ed not know what a documentary is?

"Soapy did not believe in artificial sweeteners" - eh, a little too precious.

The documentary device as a whole seems super-lazy to me, particularly because NE was just getting started.

Rob Morrow resembles both C. Thomas Howell and Jonathan Silverman in this episode.

Like episode 1-2, however, this one props up the soon-to-be familiar structure of: Maggie and Joel have a conflict. They are forced to spend time together. They become flirty, acknowledge mutual attraction. Joel says/does something to upset Maggie. She gets overly upset, lashes out. They grudgingly make up. This pattern occurs roughly 150 more times. Get used to it.

The interesting thing about their relationship is that it's dominated by two constants: Joel always assumes that Maggie is motivated by attraction. Maggie thinks she is always motivated by her principles. Who's right?

Watch Northern Exposure with me: Episode 1-2

Although it's not strictly related to travel, I'm going to put these entries up on this blog, first because Northern Exposure has a very strong sense of place (making it an ideal pop culture place), and second because it's a fantastically philosophical show that benefits from multiple viewings. I don't want it to become a forgotten 90s relic. So, skipping the pilot and starting with episode 1-2, I'll be labeling these entries "watch NE with me." Hopefully this will build up into a nice collection, not of 'recaps' per se, but musings on each episode.

1-2 Brains, Know-How and Native Intelligence

Welcome to Northern Exposure 101. This episode covers territory that would become 'standard' for NE - Joel at first clashes with, then grows to understand the ways of The Other, in this case, Ed's Uncle Anku, a native healer. The B story, too, would be replayed throughout the series, as Chris' on-air musings rub the ideologically conservative Maurice the wrong way.

Maggie and Joel clash over her refusal to fix his faulty plumbing. She accuses him of being addicted to helplessness. Yet, when he makes an attempt to solve the problem, checking out a plumbing book from Ruth Anne's "library," she mocks him. Now, it could just be because I'm having some issues with a horrible leak in my bathroom ceiling that our landlord is strategically ignoring, but I side with Joel on this. It's Maggie's responsibility to fix the problem and the fact that she doesn't is simply immature. Of course, that's the thing about her character - Maggie can be the friendliest person in town when she wants to, but Joel seems to bring out her pent-up hostility. Of course, this is just another recurring theme that crops up in virtually every episode.

Ed is a surprisingly serious and somber presence in this episode. I'm not sure if that's due to the fact that his character was still in development, or an acting choice, as his Uncle Anku was ill. Ed really does seem quite desperate to make sure he receives medical attention. Joel evens bemoans his Bergman-esque "northern brooding."

One interesting twist in this "standard" episode is the reveal that Maurice's anger over Chris' comments on Walt Whitman stem not from his admitted homophobia, but from a childhood "trauma" concerning his hero, John Wayne. Maurice doesn't want Cicelians to take a sudden interest in Whitman simply because Chris has titilated them with information about his sexual preference.

Among the interesting touches:

The Ankus reference Little Big Man, a classic revisionist western, and even the makeup (which was part of an exhibit at Moving Image, where I used to work -- in other words, a major shout out.) But back to Little Big Man... I've noticed that the NE writers frequently mention films in this vein. As someone who studied films that depict Native American life, I always appreciate these references to semi-obscure movies. I think even Powwow Highway was mentioned once.

Maurice's love of show tunes starts here. Fans know that this little motif comes back several times. Typical of NE to have Maurice, the man's man, be such a theater nut. Of course, this is brought out fully with the arrival of Cicely's very own innkeepers.

I love the use of the March of the Siamese Children during the scene in Ruth Anne's. The song perfectly captures the tension between Maggie and Joel (even though it was literally about...Siamese children - funny how that worked out).

I've already noted that Ed wasn't exactly his freewheeling self in this ep, but he does pull a classic Ed-ism - not knocking during his opening scene with Joel. Classic wisdom: knocking is impolite.

Marilyn is already checking out Joel's Sharper Image catalog, as she continues to do in future seasons.

Here's a nice bit of continuity - Holling is revealed to be Cicely's mayor in this episode, as he oversees the town meeting regarding Maurice's takeover of KBHR. One person is missing from this meeting: Joel. In Democracy in America (season 3), Joel admits that he didn't know Holling was mayor. It all makes sense!

I'm convinced that this bit of dialogue is used later in the series: "You are going to die of [prostate cancer]." "We all die." Of course, ruminations on the meaning of death are par for the course on NE.

TV: Pride & Prejudice (1995, BBC version)

Hey, it's Pemberley! And it's available for wedding receptions. I wonder if the lake is an attraction of its own.

From Enjoy England's North Country

Lyme Park is a sparkling Palladian mansion, made famous through its use in the BBC drama Pride and Prejudice. The house is surrounded by 1,300 acres of deer park, and many other period dramas have also been made at this National Trust property, including "The Forsyte Saga", "Far from the Madding Crowd" and "Casanova".

The Pemberley Trail through Lyme Park takes in every scene filmed there for Pride and Prejudice, including the bridge where Elizabeth first glimpses Pemberley, the courtyard and garden, and the pool where Darcy dives in to cool off.

Lyme Park is open from March to October five days a week - check the website for full details

Novels/Film: Twilight

This is a much bigger topic than just one post, but since the movie opened well (as I knew it would, being on top of this phenomenon, instead of dismissing it, like, say, MTV Films) it warrants a post.

Several weeks ago, I read Fandango poll with a statistic stating that a large percentage of fans were interested in traveling to Forks, WA (where the book is set). It surprised and impressed me that the question was even posed in such a poll. Clearly, someone's 'getting' it. I haven't done a ton of research on the reaction of Forks to these developments, but here are a few interesting sites.

Forks Chamber of Commerce "Home of Twilight the Book"
Twilighters for Forks (there's a fascinating mix of fiction as real history on this page)
CNN piece on the tourism phenomenon
From the Seattle Travel Examiner
"Twilight Freaks are Good for Business" - Freaks? Interesting choice of words, considering that they're supposedly glad for their business!
NPR Piece and a blog reaction to it
Fan's LJ with tons of pics
Article from Sunset Traveler, a publication I've referenced before
This site claims to be your official Twilight Travel Guide

Film: Cold Mountain

One of my major interests in the broad topic of film tourism is what Sue Beeton refers to as "mistaken identity," meaning the tourists visit the sites where the film is set, not the shooting location. I'm particularly into exploring the disconnected between these two spaces, and talking about why people choose to visit either one.

Cold Mountain was filmed in Romania. I've read quite a bit about Transylvania's self-transformation into a destination for vampire/Dracula tourism and I plan to post about that in the future. In the meantime, I'd be surprised if many people were willing to venture all the way to Romania when the real thing is waiting in North Carolina.

Film: Napolean Dynamite

The tourism "boom" in Preston, Idaho (home of Napoleon Dynamite), was well-covered by the media. Since I'm not much of a fan (it was all art direction and faux hipster-skewering), I don't want to dwell on it too much.

I did find an interesting bit of info: an official commendation to the filmmakers from the Idaho State Legislature.

Deadwood Fan Art

I have a lot of Deadwood pics to post eventually, but I came across these works of Fan Art on Deadwood's Facebook group. Interesting that they're based on the show characters/actors, as opposed to historical figures. I like these a lot.

What? Strictly Ballroom didn't make you want to visit Australia?

I've had my qualms about calling this film "Australia." I have issues with overblown historical epics (I think they're better when they deal with a narrow piece of history) and Australia seems to imply "hey, this is sweeping! This is a CONTINENT!" Also, it looks an awful lot like the inadvertently hilarious Far and Away. Seriously though, whenever these films are named for a huge historic event or place they are overreaching (Pearl Harbor, anyone?).

On the other hand, this is great news for Australia's tourism industry, as this article in The Movie Blog points out.

P.S. Doesn't the one sheet make Australia look like a fun place?

See also: "Australia Film Panned by Critics as Cliched Tourism Ad" and "So How Is That New Australia Movie Anyway?"

Experiential Learning: The Dinos of Canada

Interesting article from the Guardian about a paleontology camp in Alberta (who knew Canada was so rich in these strange travel experiences?) Apparently there was a "Great Canadian Dinosaur Rush" in the early part of the century. The Dinosaur Provincial Park offers hikes like this one:

Centrosaurus Bone Bed Hike (35 Seats)
Difficulty: moderately strenuous, 2.75 hours
Minimum Age Requirement: 7 years old

What is so significant about a bed of bones covering an area about the size of two tennis courts? What have palaeontologists discovered about the lifestyle and behaviour of Centrosaurus dinosaurs by studying this bone bed from 1979-1991? Join an interpreter on this 2 3/4 hour hike to the bone bed and see for yourself one of the world’s most exciting dinosaur excavations from the 1980’s (now an inactive site).

[...]

For many visitors to Dinosaur Provincial Park, the greatest thrill is to actually be present the moment a significant fossil discovery is made. Of course this is usually not possible, as the field season is so short.

Often the quarries are in remote locations and visitor access is not feasible, so much of the work goes on unseen by the public. Only when the field season winds down and the last batch of fossils are prepared for shipment to Drumheller, can the team truly savour the summer's achievements.

Vulcan, Alberta

It's all in the name. This is one of my favorite tele-tourism stories. Now, I don't pretend to be an expert on Star Trek. I probably know more about the fandom than the show itself, so I can't say whether or not I'd personally be interested in traveling to Vulcan, Alberta if I were a major Trek fan. I'm only interested in traveling there because it appears to be the most shameless town on earth. Some genius provided Vulcan with it's own Flickr channel. Genius!

Photos from Travel Alberta Canada

The only thing that could make this more outrageous would be if Vulcan actually named itself after Star Trek.

Japanese Tourists and the Northern Lights

This interesting tourism tidbit was actually depicted on an episode of Northern Exposure. But according to this article, fuel prices have slowed the Japanese-Aurora industry in Canada. Interesting that they claim that the NWT is "cleaner and safer" than the Alaska...because of 9/11.

Photo by Tomspixels, via Creative Commons

Angels and Demons - Dan Brown's reign of terror continues

At Quantum of Solace last weekend, I saw the Angels & Demons trailer. Granted, several friends insist that it's better than The Da Vinci Code (wow, way to clear that bar, D.B.). What interests me is that the Vatican famously refused to let those heretics besmirch the holy city. The Times analyzed Rome's tourism gamble earlier this year.

Telling quote:

Mistakes and leaps of imagination aside, Ms. Prestipino, Rome’s tourism official, said she would like to do something for the film’s 2009 release. “It would make sense to have a promotional event where the movie was shot,” she said.

But others counter that Rome needs no advertising.

The Rev. Antonio Truda, the parish priest at Santa Maria del Popolo, marvels that anyone would come to his church just because its Chigi Chapel, decorated by Raphael and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, is mentioned in a book. The church has masterpieces by Pinturicchio and Caravaggio, and an average of 2,500 people come by each day.

“I hate to be rude, but I really don’t think people come to a church like this because of ‘Angels and Demons,’ ” he said.

Film: Devils Tower

Devil's Tower, .

Spielberg be damned, Devil's Tower is pretty much a wonder and well worth a visit to Wyoming. Judging from the average age of the visitors I saw, most tourists were inspired to travel to Devil's Tower for geological, not cinematical,* reasons.

In any case, I now know that it would be virtually impossible for Dreyfuss to scramble up those boulders.

Who's there: world's craziest rock climbers, prairie dogs, old people

*Bob Balaban is one of the few celebs I've seen twice, randomly, on the street here in New York.

Literature and Television: Anne of Green Gables

Photo by Smudge 9000 via Creative Commons.

Prince Edward Island.

I'm sure I read Anne of Green Gables at some point, but mostly I remember wearing out a VHS copy (taped off of cable) of the miniseries with Megan Follows, Colleen Dewhurst, and Richard Farnsworth. The CBC was clearly onto something, because they spawned a whole industry around PEI, making it a destination, particularly for Japanese tourists. This article gives a succinct explanation of the phenomenon, as does this piece from The Atlantic.